Savanna Biome Of Southern Africa Essay

Below is an essay on "Savanna Biome Of Southern Africa" from Anti Essays, your source for research papers, essays, and term paper examples.

Southern Africa, a region rich in biodiversity existing in different types of many biomes and ecosystems, such as fynbos, savannas, grasslands, succulent Karoo and Nama Karoo as the region’s main biomes common to this part of the world. Each of these biomes and eco systems are categorized according to their foremost types of vegetation and characterized by the types of species which exist in and adapt to that particular environment. In this essay it will discuss in detail the characteristics of the savanna biome, such as its species diversity, threats to the system, geographical distribution and the environmental variables which control the distribution as well as the historical content of this particular biome.
The savanna biome is the predominant biome in southern Africa covering approximately 46% of the area, in regions such as Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe it is the dominant vegetation form, and is well developed in South Africa in the Kalahari and the lowveld. Savannas are recognized as grassy woodland with its ground layer being characterized by vast amounts of grass and a clear upper layer of woody plants such as trees and shrubs being spread out amongst its ground layer as an open canopy although some savanna ecosystems occur as a grassland ecosystem where its upper layer of woodland is absent. The savannas upper layer consists of a shrubveld which does not grow any higher than 1meter, an intermediate level of bushveld which grow between a range of 3-7m with its woodland growing as high as 20m in the more dense and developed parts of the savanna.
The climate which aids the development of the savanna biome is very specific and complex with many environmental factors contributing to its development. The Koppen classification of the savanna is Aw. It experiences two seasons, a very dry winter season, and a wet summer seasons. It experiences warm conditions throughout the year, rarely dropping below 20°C. During the winter months, the savanna experiences...